


Neon Genesis Evangelion: Like a Child

by thesolaralchemist



Category: Neon Genesis Evangelion
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-11
Updated: 2015-03-11
Packaged: 2018-03-17 10:25:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3525752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesolaralchemist/pseuds/thesolaralchemist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While an angel patiently waits to set things right, a child seeks comfort.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Neon Genesis Evangelion: Like a Child

Like a Child  
By Dustin Denley  
Kaworu Nagisa sat against a wall outside of Nerv Headquarters, though, most that saw said headquarters would have thought it to be an abandoned building. Below him were the ruins of Tokyo-3, which were the same searing red as the Earth that surrounded them. The color of the ruins and the heat that sun bore down mercilessly created a Hellish sort of heat that was only alleviated by the occasional breeze. The young man didn't pay the heat or his surroundings any never mind, though, as he was currently devoting all of his attention to the book he was reading. The novel, for those that are curious, was J.D. Salinger's Catcher in The Rye.

He read the book not only to escape the heat of the day and his surroundings, but also to evade the memories of how the world he currently lived in came to be. The sight of The Door of Guf opening over Tokyo-3, souls pouring out into the red sea only to be reborn as screaming abominations that mad men felt were "more evolved" often haunted him in the form of nightmares. He didn't allow the memories to pull him into some fog of depression whenever he chose to reflect upon them, though, but instead used them as reminders that this world was an artificially made Hell that it was his duty to restore things as they had been before so that the world could progress naturally.

The white-haired teen was pulled from his novel by the sound of footsteps emanating from the building. Kaworu guessed that it was Fuyutsuki seeking him out so that the two could play a game of Shogi. Kaworu enjoyed these games as he was a great deal fonder of the old man than the facility's other occupant, Gendo Ikari. He stood up, marking his place in his book, and made his way to investigate the source of the noise. What he discovered was not the aged form of Fuyutsuki or the brooding figure of Ikari, but, instead, he found a little girl.

She had pale skin, like his, and blue hair that contrasted sharply against the red landscape. She wore a simple pink dress, and black shoes protected her feet from the elements. She was staring out at the ruins with a blank expression, her eyes as red as the Earth she looked down upon. "It's mesmerizing in its own way, isn't it, sister?", Kaworu spoke up, his tone one of amusement. The girl looked over to him with an expression that most would have interpreted as the same blank one she'd had before, but Kaworu was easily able to tell she was confused by what he'd said. "Sister?", she said as if it were word from a foreign language she'd never encountered before. He chuckled, and said, "It means we're the same." The information was a sort of revelation to the girl, apparently. "My name is Kaworu Nagisa, by the way." "I am Rei. Rei Ayanami.", Rei replied with a sort of rehearsed tone to her voice.

"Tell me, Rei, have you ever seen a piano before?"  
"Piano?"  
"It's an instrument for making music."  
"Music?"  
"Haha, would you like me to show you?"

Rei looked as if she didn't know what to say to his offer. Kaworu held his hand out to the girl invitingly, his face adorned with a gentle smile. After a few moments, she took his hand. 

The two made their way through the hallways of the facility until they reached a staircase. Said staircase led them to a room without a roof, allowing for a clear view of the sky. There were several "windows" in the room as well, though the windows consisted of rectangular holes in the wall that led outside. All of this gave the place a very open atmosphere. In the room's center sat a very nice piano and stool, a pot which was filled with soil just to the instrument's side. Out of the soil a small plant seemed to be coming out.

Rei looked at the scene with confusion. Kaworu gave an amused smile, and let go of the girl's hand to take his seat in front of the piano. Rei's confusion only intensified. He laughed, and said, "Come here, Rei." She walked to the stool, and Kaworu lifted her onto his lap.

She looked up at the young man as if to say "what now?". "Watch this, sister.", he said before playing a quick tune. She watched his hands with eyes that had grown to the size of dinner plates from her intrigue. "Now you try.", he said, motioning for her to try. Rei eyed the keys, utterly lost as to what she should do. "I cannot. I...am not useful for "music".", she said dejectedly. "Rei...",he said with a gentle voice as he he took her small hands in his, and guided them to the keys. "I said we were the same, didn't I?" Rei gave a tiny nod. "So I see no reason why you would be any less suited for making music than me."

With that, he helped her press a few keys, recreating a few notes of the tune he had played. The girl's eyes grew wide, and Kaworu smiled down at her. For the next few hours Kaworu would play a few more notes, and Rei would mimic his actions. By the time the sun was setting over the reddened world, Rei was able to play the tune in its entirety, albeit a little slower than Kaworu.

"Well, I believe we've practiced enough for today. I don't think we could go on even if we wanted to seeing as I don't think that we could read sheet music in the dark.", Kaworu said, closing the lid over the piano's keys. "I understand.", Rei said in the same rehearsed tone as before. Kaworu was able to discern some sadness this time around, though. "Say, Rei, would you like it if I walked with you to your room?", Kaworu asked. Rei's face showed subtle surprised delight at his offer. "Yes." She held out her hand for Kaworu to take, which he happily did.

She led him through the ruined corridors of the building, taking them ever deeper into the bowls of Nerv. They reached a large, dark chamber where the only source of light was an eerie glow emanating from a sort of deep pit. There was a basic four-walled structure on the edge of the pit. The "door" into said structure consisted of a curtain hanging in an empty doorway. Above the aforementioned doorway was a plate that read "402-Ayanami".

What awaited them beyond the "door" appalled Kaworu. Rei's room consisted of a small cot on a hard floor, a table which had some pills on its surface, and a lit lantern. While Kaworu gazed upon the room with horror, Rei tried to figure out what the appropriate response to Kaworu's actions was. The girl pulled him out of his stupor by tugging on his shirt. Kaworu looked down at Rei, and she said a quiet "Thank you.". Kaworu smiled for her sake, and replied with, "Just come see me anytime you want, sister."

Kaworu left Rei's "home", and made his way back to his room. 

His room consisted of red carpeting, a simple bed, a few books he had collected from Nerv's vast library, and a broken rapier. It was obviously furnished very lightly, but at least his room could be considered a decent place of residence for a human being. That monster Ikari was obviously keeping her room that way for the same reasons he had kept Rei's apartment the way he had: To give her no sense that she should have anything other than what was absolutely necessary for her to stay alive. 

It filled Kaworu with a rage that made his hands shake. What made him angrier still was that he could do nothing about it. Ikari already had issues with trusting the boy to assist him in his goals, and would not hesitate to rid himself of Kaworu if Kaworu were to question anything he did. And Kaworu couldn't have that. Much as he hated that man and everything he stood for, this was where he needed to be to fix things. This was where he was certain Shinji would come when he was free of Unit-01. Then...Then he would be able to restore the natural order of things, and ensure Shinji's happiness that he knew the boy so sorely deserved to be allowed. Not only did Shinji deserve that happiness, but so did every other surviving member of the human race that lived on this ruined world.

Kaworu decided that he would do everything he could to give this new Rei as full of a life she could have in the ruined facility. Perhaps he would even be able to ensure that she was made whole one day... This decision was what allowed Kaworu to collect himself enough to sleep that night.

The next day, Kaworu returned to his spot agaisnt the wall outside of Nerv Headquarters so as to resume his reading. His reading was once again interrupted, however, by the sound of footsteps. Kaworu marked his page, and stood to investigate the source of the sound. He was expecting to find Rei waiting for him, having sought him out so as to play the piano some more. Unfortunately, what he found instead was the commander of Nerv. The Commander stood in the darkness of the building while Kaworu stood in the doorway that led outside. Kaworu looked very serious, a stark contrast to his usually carefree expression.

"Hello, Commander."  
"Rei tells me that you practiced the piano with her yesterday."  
"Yes, I spent most of the day teaching her. I found it to be quite nice, and she seemed to have a lot of fun as well."  
"You will refrain from any other such unnecessary interactions with her."  
"And why is that?"  
"...."  
"Is it because you're afraid that if she were to develop any sort of will of her own that she might not want to go along with your plans? You've already deprived the girl of any sort of soul of her own, are you really so afraid of her being more than a tool for you, King of The Lilin?"  
"You have no right to tell me to treat her more like a human being when you have no concept whatsoever of what it actually means to be human. And if you continue to act as if you have any right to go against what I tell you, then I will be forced to rid myself of you."

With that, Gendo Ikari turned his back to the teen, and began to walk back into his ruined castle. Kaworu turned to walk away, being able to tell that the conversation was obviously finished, but stopped when he heard The Commander speak up again.

"And don't think yourself so valuable that I would have any trouble replacing you, Fifth Child."

And so Kaworu added his sister to the list. The list of people he would restore this ruined Earth for. He placed her name right under Shinji Ikari's on said list.

End.


End file.
